PICTURE THEATRES

Evening Star, Issue 22633, 27 April 1937, Page 7

PICTURE THEATRES

GRAND Zane Grey’s new story ; 1 King of the Royal Mounted,’ screening finally tonight at the Grand, which has not appeared in novel form, is a virile outdoor tale of the adventures of Sergeant King, of the Royal North-west Mounted Police, who is called upon to solve a murder mystery, outwit a smart American. attorney, save a beautiful girl from prison and death, • and establish her claim to a mining fortune. The name role is played convincingly aid without unnecessary “ toughness by Robert Kent. A strange romance backed by the tension of war in an enemy country is ‘ Everything is Thunder,’ coming tomorrow to the Grand. It tells of the escape from a German prison camp of a British officer, and of his subsequent adventures in the heart of Germany until his race for the border in an attempt to escape through Holland. As the officer Douglas Montgomery gives a striking characterisation. The prison camp scenes are particularly reminiscent of the tale of ex T war prisoners. He is one of those men, and there were many behind prison-camp . walls on both sides of the lines who could not rest in captivity, but must be always struggling to escape. He is caught several times, but at last, supplied with wire-clippers from the outside, he cuts his way to freedom. His killing of a German guard, however, makes him a doubly marked man. Befriended by a provincial burgomaster, he makes his way to Berlin, where he meets Anna, a girl of the streets. In this part, Constance Bennett shows her quality as an actress. Anna’s best friend, unfortunately, is Kraft, the ace of the German Secret Service, whose special task it is to trail down the murderer. Oscar Homolba, whose/performance as Kruger in ‘ Rhodes.of Africa ’ brought him fame, has an- equally difficult part as Kraft, and - acquits himself as well as in the previous picture. In the second feature, ‘/Dangerous Waters,’ a terrific drama of the seas, Jack Holt is brilliantly supported by Robert Armstrong, Gracs Bradley, and a large cast.

REGENT According to a writer in the ‘ Film Daily,’ New York, the new Samuel Goldwyn production, ‘ Come and Get It,’ which has entered upon a week at the Regent, stands out as a perfect example of the truism that it takes a combination of the gifts of fine writing, directing, and acting to make an outstanding picture Starting with these three prime essentials, 1 Como and Get It,’ emerges as one of the most satisfying masterpieces of entertainment that Hollywood has ever produced. It catches the spirit of the great Northwest lumber country, and brings it to the ■ screen with a vividness that is startingly real. Edna Ferber, who wrote ‘ Show Boat,’ has again concocted a great drama which has all the i ingredients of universal appeal. One personality dominates the cast— Edward Arnold, rising from lumberjack to timber baron through a blustering, masterful career. His characterisation is exhilarating. - Frances Farmer and Joel M'Crea head the supporting cast.

JOE E, BROWN FARCE. Comedy entertainment of a high standard is provided in ‘Polo Joe,’ which is to commence a season at the ■Regentlon Friday.,; The style of acting which has made all the comedies of Joe E. Brown such outstanding attractions is again the cause of much of the appeal of this production. . He is cast as an American youth who, after having spent a considerable period in the remote parts of China, returns to the welcoming set of friends who centre around his wealthy aunt. They are all very keen on polo players, and “ Polo Joe,” in order to vindicate himself in the eyes of an attractive girl living near by, is compelled, after several tales concerning his' brilliance at the game, to take a" part in the popular sport, about which, actually, he knows nothing at all. Appearing opposite him in the leading feminine part is Carol Hughes, while “ Sheets ” Gallagher also is in the cast. A fine variety of shorter subjects will complete the programme. EMPIRE The popularity of the spectacular dramatised story of Florenz Ziegfeld’s life is reflected both by’ the crowded houses that have applauded it, and by the extension of its season for a further week at the Empire. To the musicallyinclined, ‘ The. Great Ziegfeld ’ is a feast. All the songs are catchy and tuneful, and their preservation in a glamorous setting makes them particularly acceptable. The film is also a pageant of beauty, in which hundreds of the famous folly girls pass before the floodlights in an entrancing procession. Despite the length of the film —a full three hours—the plot is so interesting that the action at no time drags. The human story has all the movement, the tenderness, and the great pathos of the life of one of the world’s greatest showmen. Ziegfeld is portrayed by William Powell. Anna Held, the French star of his first show, and his wife, sways between the extremes of delight'and unhappiness. Her tragic role is taken by Louise Rainer. Myrna Ley takes the role of Ziegfeld’s second wife, whose love and understanding of his charming, extravagant nature accompany him through his triumphs and disappointments. HILARIOUS COMEDY. P. G. Wodehouse’s successful novel is made into an equally hilarious screen comedy in ‘ Piccadilly Jim,’ which is to commence its Dunedin season at the Empire on Friday. Robert Montgomery 'again demonstrates his versatility by playing in a convincing style a role different from any he has handled before. Further guarantee of popularity is' given by the fact that the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Company are the producers. The story is concerned with the adventures and difficulties which confront a cartoonist, who makes the awful mistake of choosing as a subject for his cartoons the family of the girl with whom he is .in love. The humorous situations and incidents lead to the shifting of the scene of action from England to America, where the cartoonist’s victims hope to escape the light of publicity which follows them.

The chief feminine role is that of Ann Chester, who is ably portrayed tiy Madge Evans.' Others'who have important parts are Frank Morgan and Billie Burke."

ST. JAMES ‘ Keep Your Seats, Please,’ which has embarked upon its second week at the St. James, is an apt title for a picture which has as the basis of its plot an eccentric will whereby the “black sheep” of a well-to-do family inherits the fortune of his irascible aunt, only if he buys a set of seven chairs in which a large sum of money is hidden. George Formby, as the ne’er-do-wel! nephew, and Florence Desmond, better known on the radio, as the strayling girl, do more than their share in keeping the action of the picture at a high tension. Both sing several songs in a delightfully bizarre manner, and . these, as well as their exaggerated antics, serve to make the picture one of the most enjoyable for a long time. The programme is enhanced by the appearance on the stage of several (performers, who provide some outstanding entertainment. Trevor and Dawn are adagio dancers of unusual merit, and'their number is a pleasing combination of clever acrobatics and grace. Miss Esrne Chalk contributes a tap dance that marks her as an artist of anility, while the pianist, George Dawson, provides some excellent solos.

WALLACE BEERY TRIUMPH. He has been seen as the cruel, swaggering Pancho Villa, the sociallyelevated business man, the “ sugar daddy,” but in ‘ Old Hutch ’ Wallace Beery gets back to , the _ parts that topped his career. Reminiscent of the Beery-Dresbler days of ‘ Min and Bill,’ the film will open on Friday at. the St. James. As Old Hutch, Beery is the laziest man in town; no work for 20 years, six or seven' children, a little fishing, and plenty of sleep. And then he strikes a nest-egg of 100,000 dollars, but because he is Old Hutch he dare not change a 1,000-dollar bill. His scheming to conceal hi® .luck, his extravagant but secret plans, and his placid, jolly nature make excellent entertainment. There is a dash: of pathos here and there, but it is outweighed by the humour. There is something wrong about the money, pf course, as nobody buries that sum on a riverbank for nothing; and the little bother caused by the previous illegal owners of it add the right splash of excitement. Elizabeth Patterson, is splendid as the ragged, hard-worked Mrs Hutchins, who has received only one dollar from her husband since her mrariage, and Eric Linden and Cecilia Parker provide the youthful romance.

STATE ‘East Meets West,’ now at the State, stars George Arliss, .supported by Lucie Mannheim, Ballard Berkeley, Romney Brent, and Godfrey Tearle. This Gaumont-British film is a rich melodrama, flavoured ■ plentifully with thrills, adventure, and romance. As the wily sultan of an Eastern principality, Arliss. successfully wheedles great sums of money out of Britain and another Eastern Power, playing against them the life of a renegade Englishman, a, rum-runner, whose wife has had an affair with the sultan’s Oxford-edu-cated son. There is action in plenty in this offering. Arliss is his usual polished self, investing every word 'he speaks and every, gesture he makes with infinite dignity and significance, Lucie Mannheim is an attractive and appealing figure as the unfortunate wife, while Romney Brent’s study of a Japanese diplomat is flawless. Much excitement is derived from great crowd scenes in which natives mob for the life of the erring Englishman. The splendour of settings, dress, and manner is unique, and also very educational. ‘ East Meets West ’ is a rich offering, suitable for all audiences who enjoy ripe entertainment, full of thrills, romance, and the intrigue that surrounds the East. TALENTED NEW STAR. There is something very attractive about the film, ‘ Girls’ Dormitory,’ which will begin a season at the State on Friday, although its title is one that suggests a bedroom comedy rather than the pretty little story which it is. The film is an interesting study of love in a girls’ school, but when it is seen that the school is a finishing school for young women and that the object of affection is no less dignified a person, than Herbert Marshall, it can be realised that this is not merely a sentimental exposition of calf love. ‘ Girls’ Dormitory ’ introduces a new and engaging little person in Simone Simon, a talented French actress who makes her first appearance in Hollywood productions. One of the best scenes is that m which the school staff gathers; to pass judgment on the “ crime ” of which Marie is . accused. Simone Simon is a very natural little actress, and her work throughout is characterised by a sensitive understanding of the light and shade so necessary in a romantic role. Under Irving Cummings’s deft direction, Miss Simon reveals the talents that stamped her the most briliant star of the Continent. STRAND The methods of American blackmail rings were rarely more ingenious than the plans developed by the “ Thursday Club” in ‘The Girl on the Front Page,’ which heads the programme now at the Strand. The blackmailers succeed in entering the service of the most prominent wealthy families as butlers, personal maids, and household servants. They look for scandal and improvise it where it does not previously exist. Working in several homes simultaneously, they meet on Thursdays to compare notes and advance, their schemes. Edmund Lowe and Gloria Stuart have the leading roles. Ralph Bellamy, Marian Marsh, and Isabel Jewell have the leading roles in ‘ The Man Who Lived Twice.’ This fascinating film, is built round the theme of a man who, by means of a nerve-centre operation, is given a new character. It tells the story of Slick Rawley (Ralph Bellamy), a dangerous killer, who, to evade a police trap, induces a surgeon to operate on him and emerges mentally a new man.

OCTAGON Adapted from the famous stage play which made thousands laugh in New York and London, ‘ Three Men on a Horse,’ at the Octagon, is packed from_ start to finish with hilarious situations and almost hysterically funny comedy. ‘ Three Men on a Horse 1 is the story of three racecourse gamblers with the richest of Bowery accents, who. suddenly receive a gift from the gods—a man who can pick winners for every race. And when the tipster happens to be a poet who writes verses for Mothers’ Day and Christmas cards, and the part is played by that brilliant comedian Frank M’Hugh, it is a guarantee that the humour will be of the side-splitting variety. There have been few funnier scenes in motion pictures than those in

which Frank M‘Hugh, rejoicing in the name of Erwin, suddenly revolts from his normal humdrum existence and becomes the protege of the racecourse gamblers, who watch over him with tender solicitude and persist in addressing him as “ Oiwin.” Joe Cook introduces some innovations to the West, including elephants for mounts instead, of horses, in Paramount’s madcap, ‘ Arizona Mahoney,’ the associate feature, his first full-length comedy.

MAYFAIR The reformation of a man through a life of self-sacrifice and service forms the interesting theme of ‘ Magnificent Obsession,’ which is the chief attraction on the current programme at the Mayfair. The appeal of the picture arises not only from the ability of the actors, but also from the intensely moving atmosphere that is created. But while the theme of the film is idealistic reality is never lost. The story tells how ■: a young wastrel unwittingly causes the death of a great and humane doctor. He falls in love with the doctor’s young widow, but is responsible for an accident which results in her becoming blind, ■ and this brings home forcibly to him the uselessness of his own life. It becomes his “magnificent obsession ” to take the doctor’s place and repair the damage which he has caused. Principal parts are taken by Robert Taylor and Irene Duiine, whose feeling acting is largely responsible for the success of the production. In the sphere of light entertainment Jack Buchanan has few rivals among British players, and in his latest film, ‘ Come Out of the Pantry,’ which is being shown in support, he is seen in one of the merriest productions in which he has so far, exhibited his versatility.

‘ Bullets or Ballots,’ starring Edward G. Robinson, will'be commenced at the Mayfair to-morrow. In the part of Johnny Blake, a detective, Robinson is said to be more vital, more compelling, and more human than hie has ever been before. The picture opens with Robinson as a former detective and head of New York’s famous strong arm squad being relegated to a patrolman’s beat in the Bronx. He is finally discharged from the force, and, apparently embittered, he joins the gang run by Mac Lane, as Kruger. MacLane’s ‘ trigger man is Humphrey Bogart, who plays “ Buggs ” Finner. One smashing scene follows another as Blake sacrifices his honour and the love of Joan Blondell, as Lee Morgan, to wrest from the underworld the secrets of the higher-ups who operate the rackets, to be climaxed by a scene which is the finest and most moving that Robinson has ever made. The associate feature is ‘ Call of the Prairie.’